US 3,952,478 AGranted

Vacuum sheet applicator

AssigneeFormax, Inc.

InventorsLouis R. Richards, Kenneth F. Sandberg

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Abstract

A sheet applicator for applying individual thin, flexible sheets of paper or similar material to a series of relatively thick, flat articles (e.g., hamburger patties) as those articles fall along a defined discharge path terminating at a stacking position, comprising a shuttle with vacuum grippers for transferring each flexible sheet from a transfer position to an application position on the article discharge path, where one of the articles engages the sheet and carries it to the end of the discharge path. The grippers engage at least three peripheral points around the edges of the sheet; the falling article pulls the sheet from the gripper, falling through a central opening in the shuttle. The carriage then returns for the next sheet. A single-sheet feeder applies the sheets to the shuttle in registry with the vacuum grippers.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A sheet applicator for applying thin, flexible sheets of paper, cellophane, plastic film or like material, individually, to a series of hamburger patties or like flat articles of given surface configuration, as the articles traverse a given discharge path in sequential spaced relation to one another, the sheet applicator comprising:

a vacuum transfer shuttle reciprocally movable along a shuttle path between a sheet application position intersecting the article discharge path and a sheet transfer position adjacent to, but spaced from the discharge path,
the shuttle having a central opening which encompasses the article discharge path, through which one of the articles may pass freely, when the shuttle is in its application position,
the shuttle including at least three small vacuum grippers distributed around the peripheral edges of the central opening in the shuttle, just beyond the edges of an article passing therethrough, with said vacuum grippers being distributed around at least a major portion of the peripheral edges of said central opening;
a sheet feeder, including releasable sheet holder means, for depositing a single, thin, flexible sheet on the shuttle in registry with the shuttle vacuum grippers whenever the shuttle reaches its sheet transfer position, each sheet being of a size and configuration to cover all of the shuttle vacuum grippers;
and
actuating means for actuating the shuttle and the sheet feeder in synchronism with the movement of the articles along the discharge path and in synchronism with each other, so that the sheet holder means of the sheet feeder releases each sheet as it arrives at the transfer position in registry with the shuttle vacuum grippers and so that the shuttle is in its sheet application position each time an article moves therethrough.

3 more elements

A sheet applicator for simultaneously applying thin, flexible sheets of paper, cellophane, plastic film or like material, individually, to each of a row of hamburger patties or like flat articles of given configuration, as the row of articles traverse a plurality of closely spaced, generally parallel, defined discharge paths with the articles in each path moving in sequentially spaced relation to the other articles in its path, the sheet applicator comprising:

a vacuum transfer shuttle, reciprocally movable along closely spaced, generally parallel shuttle paths between an application position for the sheets intersecting the row of article discharge paths and a transfer position for the sheets adjacent to but spaced from the article discharge paths,
the vacuum transfer shuttle including a pair of support members extending laterally across the shuttle paths with the support members spaced apart from each other along said shuttle paths a sufficient distance to allow said articles to pass freely therebetween when the shuttle is in its application position for the sheets,
the shuttle support members each including a pair of sheet support portions for each shuttle path with each sheet support portion positioned to engage a corner of a rectangular sheet positioned on the shuttle but to clear an article passing between the shuttle support members when the shuttle is in its application position for the sheets,
each of said sheet support portions having a vacuum gripper thereon positioned to engage a corner of a rectangular sheet placed thereon,
a sheet feeder for each shuttle path, each feeder including releasable sheet holder means for depositing a single, thin, flexible rectangular sheet on the shuttle in registry with the sheet support portions for each shuttle path whenever the shuttle reaches its sheet transfer position, each sheet being large enough to cover all of the vacuum grippers of its sheet support portions, and
actuating means for actuating the shuttle and the sheet feeders in synchronization with the movement of the articles along the discharge paths and in synchronism with each other so that the sheet holder means of the sheet feeders release all of the sheets as the sheet feeders arrive at the transfer position in registry with the shuttle support portions, and so that the shuttle is in its application position for the sheets each time a row of articles move therethrough.

3 more elements

A sheet applicator for use with a reciprocal mold plate food patty molding machine in which the mold plate delivers successive rows of food patties to closely spaced, generally parallel discharge paths located outwardly of the molding machine, the sheet applicator adapted to simultaneously applied thin, flexible sheets of paper, cellophane, plastic film or like material individually to each patty in a row as the patties traverse the discharge paths, the sheet applicator comprising:

a vacuum transfer shuttle connected to the mold plate of said molding machine to move reciprocally in unison with the mold plate but in a direction opposite to that of said mold plate with the shuttle moving between an application position for the sheets intersecting the row of patty discharge paths and a transfer position for the sheets adjacent to, but spaced from the patty discharge paths,
the vacuum transfer shuttle including a pair of support members extending laterally across the shuttle paths with the support members spaced apart from each other along said shuttle paths a sufficient distance to allow said patties to pass freely therebetween when the shuttle is in its sheet application position,
the shuttle support members each including a pair of sheet support portions for each shuttle path with each sheet support portion positioned to engage a corner of a thin, flexible rectangular sheet positioned on the shuttle but to clear a patty passing between the shuttle support members when the shuttle is in its application position for the sheets,
each of said sheet support portions having a vacuum gripper thereon positioned to engage a corner of a rectangular sheet placed thereon,
a sheet feeder for each shuttle path, each feeder including releasable sheet holder means for depositing a single thin, flexible rectangular sheet on the shuttle in registry with the sheet support portions for each shuttle path whenever the shuttle reaches its sheet transfer position, each sheet being large enough to cover all of the vacuum grippers of its sheet support portions, and
means for moving the shuttle and the sheet feeders in synchronism with the movement of the mold plate and in synchronism with each other so that the sheet holder means of the sheet feeders release all of the sheets as the sheet feeders arrive at the transfer position in registry with the shuttle support portions, and so that the shuttle is in its application position for the sheets each time the mold plate delivers a row of food patties to the parallel discharge paths.

3 more elements

A vacuum shuttle for use as part of a sheet applicator for applying thin, flexible sheets of paper, cellophane, plastic film or like material, individually, to a series of hamburger patties or like flat articles of given surface configuration, as the articles traverse a given discharge path in sequential spaced relation to each other, said vacuum shuttle being reciprocally movable along a shuttle path between a sheet application position intersecting the article discharge path and a sheet transfer position adjacent to, but spaced from, the discharge path, said vacuum shuttle having a central opening which encompasses the article discharge path and through which one of the articles may pass freely when the shuttle is in its application position,

said shuttle including at least three small vacuum grippers distributed around the peripheral edges of the central opening in the shuttle, just beyond the edges of an article passing therethrough, with said vacuum grippers being distributed around at least a major portion of the peripheral edges of said central opening,
said sheet applicator including a sheet feeder having releasable sheet holding means for depositing a single, thin, flexible sheet on the vacuum shuttle in registry with the shuttle vacuum grippers whenever the vacuum shuttle reaches its sheet transfer position, each sheet being of a size and configuration to cover all of the shuttle vacuum grippers, and
said sheet applicator including actuating means for actuating the shuttle and the sheet feeder in synchronism with the movement of the articles along the discharge path and in synchronism with each other, so that the sheet holder means of the sheet feeder releases the sheet as it arrives at the transfer position in registry with the shuttle vacuum grippers and so that the shuttle is in its sheet application position each time an article moves therethrough.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.